Willy Adames has given the Giants a little bit of everything this season, and not much of it has been comforting. The shortstop’s offense has dipped, his defense has been among the worst in baseball, and now the numbers behind his approach at the plate are flashing just as loudly as the results.
The bat still has some thump in it. Adames is hitting .226/.279/.421 with 15 home runs, 36 RBI and 45 runs in 376 plate appearances. But the broader line tells the story of a hitter who has not been nearly consistent enough: a 92 wRC+, a 6.6 percent walk rate, a 28.2 percent strikeout rate and a .195 ISO.
The power is still showing up, even if it has not always felt timely. Beyond that, though, the season has been a grind. And the swing decisions are a big reason why.
Adames has spent much of the year doing the exact wrong things a hitter wants to do. His 32.4 percent chase rate is the highest of his career, which means he’s expanding the zone more than he ever has.
At the same time, his 65.7 percent zone swing rate is the lowest of his career. In plain terms: he’s chasing more bad pitches and passing on more good ones.
That combination helps explain why the offense has sagged. His walk rate is the lowest of his career and sits well below his 9.7 percent career mark, while his strikeout rate is also among the highest he’s posted.
There is at least a sliver of optimism in the underlying tools. Adames’ bat speed and exit velocity are still in line with his career norms, which points away from age-related decline and toward something that could still be fixed. Whether the Giants can coach him back into better swing decisions is the question hanging over the rest of his season.
And the concern isn’t limited to the batter’s box. Adames’ defense has also been a problem, to the point that a move to the other side of second base could be in play. The Giants may also decide to give him one more season to sort things out at shortstop.
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